Batman / Deathblow: After the Fire #2

Batman stands resolute in the foreground, cape spread wide and expression set with grim determination, while two vertical panels loom behind him — one showing a raised pistol, the other the hard, weathered face of Deathblow staring down from a blood-red background. Lee Bermejo's cover art gives this 2002 crossover a painterly, noir-drenched weight that feels entirely fitting for the pairing of DC's Dark Knight with the hard-edged Wildstorm operative. With Brian Azzarello writing the second chapter of "After the Fire," this mid-series issue promises the kind of morally complex storytelling these two characters demand.